The balancing act has only grown more fraught since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in February. Saudi Arabia had accused Iraqi armed groups of using drones to attack its oil facilities. In 2016, Iraq designated the PMF as an “independent military formation” within the armed forces, but many of the factions remain largely autonomous. The Iraqi armed groups have denied any role in the attacks. Iraq's predicament is in some ways easier, as some of the PMF factions could be integrated into the armed forces and brought fully under the military's command.